A Titan No More
by JourneyMan of Grimm
Summary: CH. 5 up! Garfield's war against all heroes everywhere begins with the Titans. The Beast inside wants to teach him things the Titans wouldn't, and Gar is all to willing to listen. Can the Titans save Garfield before it's too late, or will they die trying
1. The Disgraced One

_**Okay, since I need to place one of these here, I'll just say it now.**_

_**I do not own the Teen Titans. Or the Titans themselves. Unfortunately. So, I'll stick with what I DO have. This story IS my property. **_

_Beast Boy was always the underestimated one. The other Titans never realized his full potential, and now the green-changeling has been thrown off the team. Finding no mercy at the hands of street crime, he is forced to use his powers against ordinary people. But when sinister foes find his talents too good to go to waste, what will come of him?_

_**THE DISGRACED ONE**_

The sky was dark with storm clouds, low rumblings of distant thunder echoed across the ocean waves stirring into a violent frenzy. In the middle of Jump City harbor, a giant "T" stands guard over the citizens of Jump. Within those steel walls, three heroes sat in the antechamber waiting for their resident shapeshifter's debriefing to finish. Robin paced back and forth in his office, a heavily injured Beast Boy standing in front of him, waiting for his leader to chew him out. The green boy had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, his insides twisting in a mad dance of worry as the tension and his anticipation grew. Robin seemed to be seething, his eyes narrowing every second he paced the floor. BB knew that unless he acted soon, Robin's anger might lead to some… complications in the team. Beast Boy shifted his weight on his feet and spoke up, clearing his throat quietly.

"Uh…Robin… I just wanted to explain…"

"Explain?!"

Robin's voice was filled with unadulterated anger, directed at the green shapeshifter. The young man flinched at his own name, his temperamental leader suddenly in his face.

"Do you know what you've done?! Do you know how many lives are at stake now because of you?!"

"Dude," the changeling shouted back, "You don't know what you're talking about! Slade ordered his robots to attack me and I was overwhelmed! I couldn't get them all!"

Robin's face morphed into his mask of fury again.

"OVERWHELMED?! Did you bother to notice any of us during that fight, Beast Boy? Did you see how many we were taking on? Cyborg and I alone took out at least fifty of those bots each!"

Beast Boy returned fire as quickly as the Boy Wonder's mouth closed.

"Are you saying that I wasn't pulling my own weight?! Is that it?" he demanded hurtfully.

Batman's former apprentice glared a hole through his subordinate, the object of his fury beginning to glare back. Robin finally found his voice as he rounded back on him, his voice shaking in anger.

"Not pulling your own weight, Beast Boy? No. I'm saying you were not only "NOT" pulling your own weight, I'm saying you were a liability to the others!"

BB couldn't believe what he just heard. _Liability?_ Is that what he was now? He was so shocked that he couldn't even speak. Robin had no such inhibitions.

"And," the Boy Wonder said with extreme frustration, "the lives of everyone in this city are endangered! You've put EVERYONE at risk!"

Beast Boy felt like he had been slapped. He spoke hesitantly, his voice quivering with restrained hatred.

"You're blaming me?! You are seriously putting all of this on me?"

Robin walked up to him, his face a grim canvas of everything the young man was thinking.

"Beast Boy. You directly disobeyed an order. You put the lives of everyone on the team in danger. Ever since that whole Terra-thing, you've been like this."

The green hero's eyes morphed independently of the rest of his body, becoming feral with slit pupils as he shouted in unleashed fury.

"TERRA-THING? That 'Terra-thing' was more than you know, Boy Wonder!"

Robin seemed unfazed by the animalistic changeling, as he instantly cooled down and calmly said,

"Beast Boy, you've been nothing but a hindrance since Terra's death. For the sake of the team, and the city, I'm going to have to ask you to hand over your communicator. As of right now, you are no longer a Titan."

The young Titan stared dumbfounded. He had misunderstood. He hadn't heard him correctly.

"Wh…What?"

"Hand over your communicator," Robin repeated.

Beast Boy's mouth hung open in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock. Then reality stepped in and brought him back to the situation. His eyes narrowed as they became normal again, his mouth shut tight as he dug into his pocket and removed the yellow device from his suit. He dropped it onto his former leader's palm as he about-faced and stormed out of the room. His mind was everywhere, forming plans on what he would do. He couldn't stay in the tower, the others would only make it worse. He'd have to go somewhere where they couldn't find him.

He entered his room as the door whooshed open, quickly grabbing all of his money and leaving. He left his Titan suits in his closet. He wasn't a Titan anymore.

The deep rumble of thunder shook the walls of the Tower as he walked onto the roof, rain coming down fast with gale-force winds blowing from the ocean. He stood on the ledge of the Tower, pondering where he could go. He would need someplace big, filled with people. Maybe even people like him, a place where he could 'fit in'…

With sudden realization, his eyes widened at the memory of a place he had once heard Robin speak of. A city so large that it needed an entire clan of heroes to protect it. Beast Boy leapt off the Tower, morphing into a falcon as he took off into the distance. He had found the perfect place for him. A place called,

"Gotham."

(A/N. This is my first fanfic on BB and I'm sorry it was a little short. But they will get longer, I promise! And, if it seems a little slow, I'm just building it up. The next chapter will reveal exactly what happened with Slade. By the way, please, NO FLAMES! Constructive criticism is very welcome, and I would love to have some feedback on this.)


	2. A Warm Reception

_**Okay, since I need to place one of these here, I'll just say it now.**_

_**I do not own the Teen Titans. Or the Titans themselves. Unfortunately. So, I'll stick with what I DO have. This story IS my property. **_

_(A/N: I revised a certain part of this chapter. Re-readers will recognize the change!)_

_**D.O.A**_

Beast Boy flew over the congested streets of Gotham, his falcon eyes spotting every cab driver, disgruntled employee, and citizen of the dark city as they drove to their individual destination. He saw a family of three about one mile in front of him, the father in the driver's seat, his wife next to him, the golden-haired son sitting in the backseat jumping up and down as he recalled (to Beast Boy) what sounded like a boxing match.

Beast Boy then realized another problem. Beast Boy was his hero name; he couldn't use it anymore. From now on, he'd be just good ol' Garfield Logan. Green teen extraordinaire.

The people in the car laughed as their little boy made crude sound effects describing the sixth-round K.O. The child seemed completely happy, not a care in the world. The parents gave knowing smiles to one another, the father's mouth gleamed with his pearly whites. The mother wore a pearl necklace around her neck, the light reflecting off the expensive jewelry.

Gar's beastly instincts warned him about those three. Something was going to happen to them, and the green falcon would never be able to reach them in time. The car stopped at a red light, Garfield Logan's eyes widening in horror as his near-precognitive instincts flashed to him the events about to come.

The tail lights glowed a subtle red for only a moment, and then the car exploded into a blossoming plume of flame as the metal debris was thrown in every direction. The nearby cars were thrown away from the origin of the blast, and the ex-hero could only stare in horror as he dove as quickly as he could to the remains of the devastated car. The other vehicles on the road were blaring their horns, the stop light decimated along with the family.

Shifting into his human form as he landed nimbly on his feet, he sprinted over to the smoking ruins of the occupied car. Nearing the source of the explosion, he saw what truly remained of the car. The bodies were almost non-existent; the parts that "were" left were smoking and charred. The air was heavy with the scent of cooked flesh, his near-limitless senses making the smell only that much more powerful. He fell to his knees, dropping his head into his hands as he groaned in mental agony. He hadn't been able to save them. Just like he couldn't help his friends, the very reason he was here right now.

_The Titans had been alerted to a disturbance in a research facility in the center of the city. They responded quickly and efficiently, arriving on scene as Slade stepped out of the shadow of a large generator._

"_Hello, Titans."_

"_Slade," Robin spat. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Why, Robin. I'm disappointed in you. Didn't you do your research on this facility?"_

"_I got it man," Cyborg suddenly spoke out. "This is a… A weapons development center."_

"_Very good, Cyborg. It seems you've upgraded since the last time."_

"_Oh, yeah?" Cyborg returned with a sneer. "Well, I've got a whole new arsenal for me to shove up your armored…"_

"_Language, Cyborg," Slade interrupted._

"_We aren't here to talk, Slade. We're here to get what you've come to steal." Robin stated confidently._

_Slade only snorted his unconcern. He held up a small cylindrical device, and said threateningly,_

"_Here are your options, Robin. Either fight me, and take a chance at getting back exactly what I've "already" taken, or you can stay here and "defuse" the little situation I've left here."_

"_You're insane, Slade! There are people still in there," Robin shouted accusingly._

"_Then I guess your duty as Titans has already made your decision. Farewell, Robin."_

_Ten minutes later…_

_"Beast Boy! Get to the bomb now!" Robin shouted._

_BB dutifully nodded and transformed into a 900 pound gorilla, flinging the heavy Slade bots away from him like tissue paper. Shifting again into a cheetah, he charged toward a blinking device that beeped ominously every second that passed. The Titans behind him warred with Slade's mechanical creations, fighting unrelentingly against all odds. Slade had vanished before the battle, and BB had been charged with disabling the bomb whenever the opportunity presented itself. He morphed into his human self again, nervously staring at the bomb in front of him as he muttered incoherently under his breath in a panicked tone._

"_Ah, Jeez… Why me?... Can't do this…Awww, crap!"_

"_Beast Boy, hurry up with that bomb already!" Robin's voice commanded._

"_Yeah, B! Would ya' mind getting' a move on?!" Cyborg called out desperately as he wrestled against seven of Slade's bots._

"_Just give me a minute! Okay…Let's see…The movies always show the red wire and the green wire. Just gotta get the green one and I'm fine. No problem, right?"_

_He ripped open the steel plate of the device and gasped as the most cruel sight filled his vision._

_All of the wires were green._

"_Aww, dammit!" he cursed. He looked pleadingly around for someone to help him. The shapeshifting hero never had to make a choice. Out of nowhere, Slade appeared in the shadows. The masked man nodded to his twisted machinations, and more than a hundred suddenly stormed his position, intent on rendering him unable to defuse the bomb. He fought as best he could, but many of them seemed to know his every move, every transformation that he could make. A score of the robots withdrew menacing weapons, and fired at him. Lances of sparking blue electricity arced through the open air and smashed into him, frying him with more volts than the "chair."_

_The bomb continued to beep, and with every moment that passed, Beast Boy watched the timer count down from ten seconds to five… then four…_

_Garfield cried out in pain as he sensed the incoming disaster. The only one who heard him was Raven. She saw the clock, a digital three beeping down to a two._

_Beast Boy collapsed from his injuries, his eyes catching a glimpse of Raven chanting as quickly as she could, black domes rising up around all of the Titans. BB's last thought as black energy enveloped him was,_

"_I failed."_

Garfield Logan sat in the middle of the street, police sirens coming his way. His eyes were obscured with angry tears as he clenched his fist. These people hadn't deserved this! Had they? The police sirens rounded the corner as five cruisers swerved onto the main street, ten armed policemen emerging with pump-action shotguns. One of the officers spoke through his cruiser's P.A.

"**YOU THERE! Green! Don't move!"**

Did they really believe he committed this…atrocity?

"**Put your hands behind your head and get on the ground!"**

Those people actually thought that "he" killed this family? And they thought they were going to take him to prison for it, too?

Wrong.

Standing slowly to keep the officers calm, he stared at the numerous guns pointed his way. He started to walk towards the officer holding the mouthpiece, the voice getting more urgent as he made more demands.

"**D…Don't move! We will shoot!"**

He ignored the man's warnings, continuing towards the policeman. The officer panicked, and drew his sidearm, his hands shaking as he pointed the nine-millimeter handgun at Garfield's heart. Gar kept up his advance, the officer hesitating only a moment as he squeezed the trigger. The changeling let his animal instincts take over, rotating his torso as the bullet sped toward him. The projectile zoomed harmlessly past him. He raised an eyebrow at the officer. They were willing to kill him so early? Meta-humans must have a bad rep in Gotham.

"More animal than man, dude," he said jokingly. "By the way, I hope your heart is better than your aim."

"Wh…What the hell are you?" the cop fearfully asked.

Gar's form shifted for an instant, and to the frightened policeman, it was as if the boy had simply vanished. The man lowered his weapon and looked over to his partner, raising his eyebrow to signal his confusion. The other man nodded back understandingly, tilting his head towards his shoulder as he turned on his radio to call in the situation.

It was then that out of nowhere, a gigantic T-Rex popped into vision and lowered its powerful jaws onto the unsuspecting cop. The man screamed as Garfield tossed him over the bridge without ever biting him. The powerful reptile's tail swung around like a whip crashing into three officers and sending them over the side, as well. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the dinosaur morphed into a mosquito, imperceptible to the other distant law enforcer. He flew behind the man and shifted into a boa constrictor, landing on the man's shoulder and quickly wrapping around the man's neck, choking him until he went limp and fell to the ground. Morphing back to his human self again, Gar relieved the police officers of their weapons and ensured that all of them were still breathing. The fall from the bridge had been a relatively short fall, and all of them had survived. Gar shuddered to think what could have happened, so he brushed the disturbing thoughts away and focused on his surroundings.

From the furthest reaches of the street, he heard a faint sound, and turning around to meet it he saw the silhouette of two figures approaching. One was definitely a man. Fairly tall and slender, his hands being the sound he heard. The man had been clapping, like Garfield's self defense was an entertaining Broadway show. The other was about a foot shorter than the man, walking in such a manner that he knew it was a woman. Gar snarled, readying himself as the mysterious figures stepped into the light. There standing before him, was a man known to every hero on the planet. He stood dressed in a purple silk suit, a cane at his side. His face was a ghostly white, the hair a shocking green and slightly styled back. His mouth was stretched into a menacing, toothy grin.

The Joker.

(A/N--Special Thanks to my first reviewer "Slade 8833"! Your encouragement is well appreciated, and I think this is the beginning of a long and enjoyable BB centric fanfic! Again, PLEASE NO FLAMES!)


	3. Joker Venom and Gotham's Greatest

_I don't own the Teen Titans, any of the characters, blah, blah, blah... You know._

_(A/N-- First off, I'd like to profusely thank my reviewers. If it wasn't for you guys, this story would have been abandoned long ago. Also, I am SO sorry that it has been so long since I updated this fic. I know, I know. But the first meeting in a crossover is always the most important, don't ya' know? Big thanks to my reviewers on the last chapter. About a certain complaint, I felt that I needed some way to gauge how far the readers would let me go with the whole "powers" issue. Thanks for your criticism, and sorry that it took so long for me to update, but I needed some time for inspiration. By the way, thanks also to "Jarec" for his helpful tips. ON WITH THE SHOW!!) _

_**JOKER VENOM & GOTHAM'S GREATEST**_

The Joker's face split into a smile so wide that Gar was sure that his face would tear in two. The menacing figure before him seemed to just stare a hole through Gar's soul. It felt like he was being dissected.

"Harley," Joker said cheerfully to the woman next to him. "Do you see what I see?"

The woman nodded appreciatively. "Sure do, Mista' J! Whaddya want me to do with him?"

The Joker's smile got wider, regardless of how impossible it seemed to Garfield.

"Oh, you know the usual," he said dismissively. "Physical torture, shatter his psyche, destroy his humanity... All the fun stuff, dear."

Gar's eyes widened in surprise.

"Come on, green bean," Harley taunted him as she approached, pulling a tire iron out from behind her. "Time to play!"

* * *

He watched Harley approach the green kid. The boy had gone into a semi-crouched position, ready to... do whatever he did.

Batman's eyes narrowed as he watched the kid move from the henchwoman's first attack. He had seemed to just bend backward, his nose inches from the weapon that swung uselessly over his head. Harley tried again, and the Knight saw the boy move to the side a moment before Harley attacked with a vertical swing.

Odd. It seemed like the lad had known beforehand what the woman was going to do. He continued to watch the enigmatic green boy evade all of Harley Quinn's attacks with almost no effort involved.

However, it was Quinn's last attempted swipe that stunned the Dark Knight.

Harley had swung her tire iron at the kid's head, and just as the weapon was a foot from his face, the boy was suddenly replaced by a very large--and very _green--_ gorilla.

The creature caught the iron with one massive hand, and hefted the woman up as she had refused to relinquish her weapon. The primate threw the woman away with a mighty swing of his arm, Harley flying through the air, back flipping as she soared through the air and landed somewhat crudely next to her boss.

"Impressive," Batman noted quietly as police sirens broke the silence of the night.

* * *

"Enough joking around, Harley! Finish him off before Batsy gets here!" Joker demanded in annoyance

"I'm tryin', Mista' J! Honest! But I can't hit the little brat!"

Joker's smile vanished when a police cruiser came swerving around the corner, lights glaring and siren blaring.

"Do I have to do everything myself, Harley?!" he shouted. The crazed Arkham _guest_ suddenly held strange weapon that resembled a caulk gun. Pulling the trigger before Gar could react, a hypo needle flew out of the barrel and embedded itself deep in his skin.

"OW!" His eyes clenched shut as his hand flew to his neck where the needle stuck. He pulled it out of his skin and threw it to the ground.

"What did you just do?!"

The crazed villain just smiled.

"Here comes the punch line!"

"What are you..." he paused. His mouth felt like cotton all of a sudden. He tried to swallow but he throat refused to work. He forced himself to cough, and with great effort, his throat finally opened.

Without any preamble, he began to giggle, spurting air through his nose as the sudden urge caught him by surprise. He couldn't help himself, and the momentary lapse in his mirth was not long enough for him to catch his breath. His face melded into a near-perfect reflection of Joker's morbidly humorous visage.

"Hahahahahaha!" Clutching at his stomach, desperately trying to get the precious air that his burning lungs thirsted for, he fell onto the ground emitting a half moan, half chuckle. Even while he lay prone, trying to force himself to stop laughing, he knew that he would soon lose consciousness and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop the poison's advance.

_'Joker's venom... I can't fight it off! I have to find the cure!'_

Gar, beneath his gruesome smile that concealed his immense pain, began to formulate a plan.

Surely of all the beasts on Earth, surely, one of them would hold the cure to this... poison?

Gar felt the usual drop in he experienced when he changed shape, but soon that sensation was replaced by white-hot pain. He tore his eyes open, and as soon as he did, he wished he hadn't. His bones were broken, his skin torn in places with blood rushing out of the holes. His mind swam as the pain became too much, losing all concentration he held. He felt the world as if it were submerged under the ocean.

He fought for control, vaguely hearing the sounds of a struggle beneath his deep haze. The sound of a gunshot, a physical struggle, and finally the sound of a loud pop. He heard footsteps very close to him, and then the sound was drowned out by his own laughter. He opened his eyes just a fraction to see an imposing man garbed in a black cowl and cape, wearing equally black body armor standing over him. He looked worried, and the last thing he remembered was the man picking him up and carrying him on his shoulder before he finally succumbed to the inky blackness of his own mind.

* * *

Gar quietly snickered and giggled during the drive to Wayne Manor, but his eyes never opened. The Dark Knight gave the boy a "once over" before setting his eyes back on the road. Several open wounds bled profusely, seemingly caused by nothing. They just appeared when the boy started to vibrate on the ground. He guessed that when the boy tried to change, his bones broke and some tore through the skin.

Batman was an extraordinary detective, but it didn't take much of a genius to decipher who the boy next to him was. Despite his... _nightlife,_ Wayne did watch the news every day. Call it job security. The boy was a member of the Teen Titans stationed in Jump.

Garfield Mark Logan, a.k.a. "Beast Boy." Batman had searched the boy, and had found that the shapeshifter did not carry any kind of comm link. So he deduced that the boy here was either alone, or he wasn't a Titan any longer.

"Robin, what have you done this time?" he asked no one in particular.

* * *

Deep in the recesses of Gar's mind, the boy stood firmly rooted in his own private sanctuary. It was actually Titans' Tower, on the roof. He stared into the setting sun, watching as a group of gulls flew past him toward the shore. A slight breeze ruffled his hair and carried the scent of salty ocean water. The day's dying light echoed across the rippling waves, turning the vast harbor into a shimmering display of color and warmth. It was here, either in reality or in his mind that the green child came to reflect.

He sighed heavily, shoulders sagging slightly while he looked blankly across the ocean.

"Beast Boy?" came a voice from behind him.

He turned to look into the face of the blonde haired geomancer. His not-so-secret crush, Terra.

Or rather, Terra's specter, who had somehow found a way to communicate with him despite her stone grave. Gar had never told anybody about this, preferring to let it just be the two of them together. Sometimes, she would appear in here, either to give advice to him or to comfort him.

"Hey." he replied, turning back to the view.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she walked up to stand beside him. Below them, the waves rolled onto the sandy shore and crashed against the rocky outcroppings, both subtle and fierce at the same time.

"Just... thinking." he said quietly.

"About what, BB?" she asked, raising an eyebrow to show her curiosity.

He turned his head again to look at her face, which still shone like the first day he met her. Her eyes, which still held more warmth than the sunset before him. He couldn't bear to look at the girl any more.

"About... how I've failed."

"Failed at what? What on Earth are you talking about Beast Boy?" she said almost like she were reprimanding him.

"You wouldn't know, Terra. You can't." he replied just as calmly as he could, water beginning to form at the corners of his eyes.

"Beast Boy, I underst..."

"No, Terra! You don't understand! You don't know what its like for me!" he shouted, the bitter, angry tears now falling freely.

Terra's eyes widened in shock as Beast Boy raised his voice to her. But it wasn't because he was mad at her. He was finally letting it out, the repressed feeling that had been present since his childhood.

His grief.

"You don't know what it's like to watch your parents die knowing that you could have done something! You don't understand having to live every day with your parents' blood on _your_ hands! You don't understand, Terra!"

She suddenly felt very small in his presence, wanting to shrink away into nothingness. Only Beast Boy ever had this effect on her.

BB spoke again, this time quieter, but still wracked with self-hatred.

"You don't know that every night, I can't sleep without having nightmares because I have _your_ blood on my hands now. I could have saved you. But there's nothing I can do to fix what I did."

The blonde Titan lost any anger she might have held at Beast Boy's outburst, walking closer to him and pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Beast Boy, that wasn't your fault. I made that choice. It was my fault, not yours."

"No, Terra. Don't you see it, yet? I should have stayed back at the cave to get you out! I should have beat Slade myself so you wouldn't have to sacrifice yourself."

"BB..." she said, pulling away from him. "You can't blame yourself for that. You would have died."

"Maybe... that would have been best." he muttered. "I have hundreds of lives on my conscience now. My parents, you, and all those people that died at the research center. You just don't understand."

Terra seemed upset at this remark, releasing his hand as her own eyes began to fill with her own hurt. She turned from him, walking away into the Tower, pausing just once to give him a final glance.

"No, Beast Boy... _You_ don't understand."

With startling realization, he recognized the impact his words carried.

"Terra, I didn't mean to..."

The girl just shook her head and closed the door, leaving him alone on the rooftop.

The sun began to set, the moon revealing itself on the other side of the sky. Gar let the images fade away, leaving him to stare into the darkness. Overwhelming hopelessness overtook him, robbing him of his strength and willpower. He couldn't keep going anymore. He had lost his parents, his friendship with his team, his girlfriend, and now it seemed that even her spirit had left him.

Though he felt the encroaching darkness begin to surround him once more, he felt at the edge of his senses a presence that he had just been with. It walked to his prone form and sat beside him, a sense of disappointment in him melting away into sympathy as the figure once again took his hand into their own.

She hadn't abandoned him, after all.

Through the midst of his unending grief, his seemingly endless sorrow, Beast Boy felt a small glimmer of hope inside himself. Just the tiniest possibility that everything was not yet lost.

Garfield smiled.

* * *

Bruce Wayne, still dressed in the Bat suit, sat at an enormous desk looking over Gar's vital signs. Against all odds, the boy had stabilized the moment he had been put in the glass tank filled with various medicinal fluids. The green boy hung suspended in the blue water, his eyes closed as his body bobbed up and down, his hair falling into his eyes. The bones had miraculously mended themselves a few days ago, but some of the injuries had not been so quick to disappear.

Bruce rubbed the sleep from his eyes, once again running a diagnostics check on the boy. After a moment, the numerical data scrolled up the screen, once again reading that the boy was in critical condition.

"Hmm."

Footsteps behind him alerted him to the presence of his trusted butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

"Master Bruce," he said quietly. "You haven't left the lab in days. Please, come and eat something before you fall ill."

"Alfred," he asked quietly, "do you remember Richard?"

"Master Grayson?" he asked in surprise. "Yes. Why?"

"Richard formed a group a long time ago. The Teen Titans. This boy... he's one of them."

"You mean..." Alfred trailed off, staring at the sleeping Garfield.

"Yes, but now he's here. Why?" He rubbed his chin, pondering the question.

"I'm afraid I can't say, Master Bruce. But, if he is a "Titan," then where is Master Grayson?" Alfred finally tore his eyes away from the boy, looking instead at the exhausted Wayne.

"My point exactly."

The two were quiet again, until with a sigh of resignation, he finally turned to his butler.

"I have no choice. I have to tell his team."

The manservant sighed in frustration. "Very well then, Master."

Wayne smiled inwardly. Only his butler could possibly get _this _irritated over not being able to do his job. Bruce set up the connection to Titans' Tower in Jump City, waiting for the Titans to answer.

* * *

Back in Jump, the four remaining Titans stood in the antechamber. The team's leader had left the Tower after Beast Boy had left, and in the morning had come back to find the other three Titans had discovered their green friend's absence. So, Robin had been forced to tell them what had happened. Three voices shouted in unison:

"You. Did. _What?!"_

"I decommissioned Beast Boy! He was a threat to the city!" Robin defended himself, staying well away from his comrades.

"Robin, how could you have done such a thing to our friend?" Starfire cried.

"It wasn't your choice to make him leave!" Cyborg roared.

"What were you thinking?" Raven asked in barely masked fury, her eyes beginning to glow red as a nearby window exploded.

"I was doing my duty to protect the city! Beast Boy was an endangerment to everyone else! More people would have died if Raven hadn't intervened!"

"Rob, I swear, if Beast Boy's hurt I'll..." Cyborg started, but the giant television interrupted him as it alerted them to an incoming signal. A computer voice calmly stated:

_"Incoming signal from... Wayne Manor, Gotham City."_

Robin's jaw dropped.

The other Titans stopped yelling once they saw the look on their leader's face. Robin walked to the screen and activated the relay, allowing the message to come through. The screen flickered to life, and sitting at his lab desk was none other than Robin's old mentor, Batman himself.

"Hello, Robin."

The greeting held no warmth, no feeling whatsoever.

"Batman? What do you want?"

The three other Titans walked up behind him, listening to their leader talking to his almost revered mentor as though he hated him.

"Do you care to explain what this boy is doing here?" Batman asked, swiveling the camera to the tank, where a full view of the green shapeshifter filled the screen.

The Titans gasped, Starfire covering her mouth with her hands, Cyborg whispered a quiet curse. Even Raven seemed to lose her perfect composure when she saw her friend hanging lifelessly from the various tubes attached to his body.

"What's wrong with him?" Robin inquired, suppressing the urge to vomit.

"Joker's venom tampered with his powers. He tried to change shape, and his skeleton morphed. But... he didn't. His bones have mended, but he's still in critical condition. It seems that he put himself in a self-induced coma to shield himself from the pain. He hasn't woken up, yet."

The team silently beheld their comrade, too depressed to say anything. Finally, Robin took charge again.

"We're coming down there, Batman. We need to see him."

Batman nodded, as though he had expected this outcome.

"Alright, but I want you to put a replacement team there. We can't have Jump City be completely unguarded."

"Will do," Robin nodded.

Batman severed the link, and Robin once again turned to his teammates. Cyborg spoke first, still angry at him but beginning to forgive the Boy Wonder. The boy had expressed worry for his friend, and that was enough to assure the metal Titan that Batman's apprentice regretted his mistake already.

"We'll talk about this later," Cyborg stated firmly to the Boy Wonder. "But right now BB needs us."

"Agreed, friend Cyborg," Starfire chimed in. "We must go and see our dear friend. It is _our_ duty as friends."

Raven still held the shocked expression she wore when she saw the comatose Garfield. She finally shook it off, and muttered an agreement with her friends.

Robin finally asserted himself as leader once more, issuing orders for the team to make the necessary calls to the honorary Titans, and to ready themselves for the trip to Gotham City.

"We have to go see him. It might be our last chance."

(A/N: _I'd like to personally thank my PM reviewer! You know who you are! Anyways, constructive criticism is always appreciated!)_


	4. By the Pricking of My Thumbs

_Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, the Joker, Batman, or any DC characters. I wish I did though._

_Thanks to all my newest reviewers and people that have favorited my story. You guys are awesome._

_**BY THE PRICKING OF MY THUMBS**_

Bruce Wayne turned from the screen and pinched the bridge of his nose. Still dressed in his Batman armor, he knew that even if he had chosen to conceal his identity from the Titans, the pieces would fall together eventually. He might as well lay them out now.

"Alfred," he intoned. "Ready the guest rooms for four teenagers. Have the staff prepare a nice dinner. We're having guests."

* * *

_Gar felt more than saw another presence inside his mindscape. A dull roar filled his ears, and soon it faded; giving way to a cold, ruthless voice._

_**"Beast Boy. Titan.**_

_**Garfield Logan. Renegade." **__The voice echoing through his mind gave a mirthless chuckle._

_**"Just a short time away from them and you have already endangered our existence. How on Earth did you manage all these years?"**_

_"Who are you?" Gar demanded, turning round to see if he could spot the other occupant. "Show yourself!"_

_**"Show myself? Hahahaha... You know already who I am. I, who have been present throughout all of your ventures."**_

_Gar's face registered confusion and surprise, realizing at once that something had happened to him._

_"Who are you? What are you?"_

_His words rang hollow as another laugh shattered the bleak silence. A figure washed into view, the facial features concealed by darkness. The head raised to reveal a pair of cat-like emerald eyes and a sneering face, razor sharp fangs protruding from a partially-opened mouth. Gar recognized immediately the green skin and dark green hair that went down to the shoulders, hanging like a ragged veil._

_**"*O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!"**_

* * *

The ride to Wayne Manor was an uneventful one. The remaining members of the team had sat in total silence, never breaking the silence save for one incident in which the Azarathian empath suddenly spoke.

"Batman... Batman is Bruce Wayne."

The team's leader Robin nodded gravely, staring at the darkened buildings whooshing past through the passenger window of the T-Car.

"Yes. Wayne had the assets, and the clues were everywhere. I never understood how Gotham didn't guess it."

Raven gave a slight nod, signaling her comprehension and the end of the conversation. The other members of the team couldn't care less who Batman's alter-ago happened to be. They cared about their teammate and his well-being and nothing else mattered now.

After an eternity in awkward silence, Cyborg finally pulled into a driveway blocked by tall, imposing gates marked with a giant "W". The oldest Titan looked for an intercom system, but before he found it, the gates opened of their own accord. Cyborg just shrugged and drove inside as the entrance shut behind them. Robin, who had been Batman's apprentice for years, was not shocked to find that the manor was in disrepair. It was probably another attack from one of the numerous Rogues in the Dark Knight's enemies list.

The car pulled to a stop and they piled out, making their way to the giant double-doors on Wayne manor's front steps. Cyborg managed to knock twice before the door opened. Standing in the entrance was an aged gentleman, whom the team presumed to be- and Robin knew to be- Wayne's butler.

"Good evening, young masters," he said in a slight English accent. "Please, do come in. Master Wayne shall be with you shortly."

"Thank you, Albert," Robin said automatically before brushing past the manservant. "Come on, Titans."

The group stayed together and followed the Boy-Wonder into the large foyer, where footsteps sounded through the empty halls, echoing across the tiled floors and bouncing off of the vast walls.

"Nice place you got here," Cyborg said to no one in particular.

"Thank you, Mister Stone," a refined voice replied. The team turned their eyes to the stairwell, where a man in a black suit descended down the steps, holding his body straight and his piercing gaze on the teenagers before him.

"Wayne," Robin said flatly. "We're here to see Beast Boy."

"I know, Richard. But..."

"No buts!" Starfire demanded. "You will take us to our friend now!"

Wayne looked surprised, to say the least. He was impressed with the concern the Titans had for Beast Boy. That could only mean one thing: The Titans had not removed him from their ranks.

"Very well. Follow me, please."

The entrepreneur walked straight through the group as they parted to let him pass. Robin looked irritated but followed immediately. Cyborg simply shrugged and went after his leader with the others following behind him. The Titans, in exception of Robin, were beginning to get tired of walking through the vast halls of the manor when suddenly Wayne's voice shook them out of their daze.

"Here," he said motioning to the vault-like door protected by an advanced security system. "Logan is in here."

"You _mean_ Beast Boy." Starfire added as though she were insulted; her arms stiff by her side.

"Yes, of course..." Wayne said to ease the girl's temper. Placing his hand on a gel plate and placing his eye in front of the retina scanner, the system bleeped once after a moment or two and Wayne stood aside, hands clasped behind his back with a grave look on his face. The team went in front of him, entering the room with obvious impatience. Robin had stopped, as had the others beside him; their eyes wide. Robin's mouth turned into a thin line, his eyes narrowing. It took all of them a few minutes before any could speak. It was Batman's apprentice that regained his composure first.

"You said it was Joker venom," Robin said gravely, looking at his former teammate. "Do you think he might have…"

Wayne gave a tired sigh. "I don't know, Richard. There's no telling what effects it could have on his mind. He might wake up just fine. He might not wake up at all." At this, the detective's face fell. "Or worse."

"What do you mean, 'Worse'?" Raven asked, stepping forward to the glass as she placed a hand on the cold surface.

"Joker venom is a very complicated poison. It over-stimulates the part of the brain that controls the function of laughter, causing the victim to laugh uncontrollably until they effectively die from lack of oxygen. However," he said as he motioned to the suspended shapeshifter, "it seems that your friend here has a form of the cure in his genetic code. Likely because of his polymorphism. At first, he was privy to the normal effects, but the laughter soon stopped and he entered into a catatonic state. He won't die, that much I can tell." At this point, Wayne gestured to a giant computer screen directly over the tank; the team recognized the reading to be scans of Garfield's mental state. A single line moved in a regular pattern across the screen.

"Right now there is a degradable chemical inside his cerebrum, sending me the most accurate readouts possible. See that? That's a reading of his current mental activity and stability. Right now he's perfectly stable, save for the coma." He added with a grim expression. "But… I don't know what his mind will be like if he ever wakes up. He could be a danger to himself. Or others."

"So, you're saying Beast Boy might not ever be… Beast Boy, again?" Cyborg said disbelievingly.

"I'm afraid so. But I'm working on trying to wake him out of his coma, so right now that's all I'm worried about." Wayne replied, once again finding himself staring at the unconscious teenager.

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne," Starfire said quietly, clasping her hands in front of her as she looked down at the tile beneath her feet.

"It's fine, but I have something I'd like to ask you all."

The group turned their eyes to him as they awaited his question.

"Why is he in Gotham?" he asked suspiciously. "Isn't he supposed to be in Jump with you?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire's eyes all shot directly to Robin, who remained stoic as ever.

"_Robin_ decommissioned him without our knowledge. B left the Tower before we got a chance to see him." Cyborg explained, his human eye glaring at his leader. "Right now, we're hopin' to have him recover so we can explain everything and reinstate him."

"Ah," Wayne interjected. "Well, then. It seems my protégé is as hasty as he was years ago."

Robin's face twisted into a snarl as his temper rose.

"It was _you_ who…"

Before the Boy Wonder could finish, however, the life support monitors began to beep noisily as Garfield's heart rate rose dramatically. The shapeshifter began to twist and thrash about in the cylinder, swishing the water so fast that it started to froth. Raven backed away and Starfire's eyes widened in shock. Wayne rushed over to the computer monitors and read for a split second before typing in a quick command, releasing the hoses from the green boy before he strangled himself.

"He's waking up! Mental activity is off the charts!"

Garfield's wild movements increased in their fervor as his bones began to shift. It looked like he might morph, his shoulder blades moving visibly beneath his skin as his vertebrae elongated and Garfield grew in size as his other appendages made the same adjustments in proportion to everything else. After a heart-stopping minute of morphing, the shapeshifter finally stopped moving, his chest rising and falling at regular intervals, and the group released their tension. The room once again settled into silence as Wayne ran more diagnostics.

"He's awake, now." Wayne pointed to the screen above the tank as the line began to even out into a straight line with a few rises every once in a while.

"What… what the hell was that?" Robin asked in a tone unfamiliar to the rest assembled.

"Garfield's physical structure just changed. His measurements are different. He's increased in weight by thirty pounds, and it seems his height changed, as well. Seems like it was a subconscious transformation. He probably did it on reflex."

"Reflex?" asked Cyborg. "Then that means it responded to something. What was the trigger?"

Wayne perused the readings as he formulated a hypothesis for Garfield's sudden shift. He looked up and noticed that the line on the screen was beginning to jump again.

"Look."

The Titans turned the sight to the screen again and watched as the line started to erratically fluctuate before finally splitting in two.

"What the…" Cyborg mused.

Cyborg never finished his sentence, for at that moment, the ex-Titan's eyes shot open, scanning over the inhabitants of the room and looking at the tank in which he floated. His right arm reared back before increasing in size and muscle mass and crashing into the glass, forming a large crack in the center of impact. The green teen's eyes squinted as the arm reared back again and slamming with devastating force into the plexiglass pane. The crack widened as fluids began to seep out of the crevice.

"What's he doing?" Wayne pondered aloud as klaxons blared in the laboratory.

The former hero suddenly let out a beastly roar of hatred and gave one final strike against the glass separating him from freedom before it eventually gave in, exploding outwards from the pressure and from the monstrous punch. The green boy landed on his feet and looked around with dark eyes, his arms going from large and muscular to slim with claws. He lunged forward suddenly, swiping at Robin's head but missing as the Boy Wonder ducked, barely avoiding the claws as they made contact with the steel walls behind him, grating deep into the metal and emitting a terrible screech. Garfield turned around, his eyes darting from person to person before crouching as though he were about to pounce.

"Raven! What's wrong with him?" Robin demanded in his leader voice.

The empath cringed as she raised her hand to the changeling, shrinking away from the spiritual contact.

"He's… he's actually resisting me! His emotions are gone, I can't read him!"

"Do something, Raven! We can't risk putting him back into the coma!"

"I _can't_!" she repeated. "There's nothing for me to control! His mind is blank! It's like it isn't even him anymore!"

"Looks like we have no choice, then." Robin whispered. "TITANS! SUBDUE BEAST BOY! GO!"

Cyborg trained his sonic cannon on Garfield, maintaining a steady arm to blast his friend should he need to.

"Don't make me do this, B! You gotta stop, man!"

The feral Logan stopped growling and turned his head in Cyborg's direction, giving an eerie grin and chuckling.

"_Not Beast Boy… Break. Cyborg."_

The man-machine's eyes widened, preparing to fire just as his target leapt into the air, claws flashing in the dim light while the Titan unleashed his sonic blast, hitting his friend in the middle of his jump. The force of the impact threw Garfield across the room where he crashed into the wall, denting in the steel and buckling under the stress. A bird-a-rang struck close to Garfield's ear, implanting itself next to his head. The changeling growled and pried himself free of the crater, leaping into the fray as a black energy surrounded him like a cocoon, enveloping his arms to keep him steady. Robin appeared in front of him as quick as a flash, brandishing a syringe filled with a tranquilizer. Garfield's legs lashed out, smashing into Robin's chest as a loud snap reverberated throughout the small room. The black energy surrounding him suddenly released him as a starbolt crashed into him, exploding on contact and blinding him from the flash. A slight hum, a pause, and then a loud decompression of air as Cyborg fired another sonic blast. Garfield crossed his arms to protect himself, and the blue energy collided with him with the force of a freight train. Once again, he found himself lying on the ground as footsteps alerted him to someone's approach. He quickly bounded to his feet, and jumped as fast as he could to the source of the noise; his shoulder crashed into Cyborg's chest and dented the center plate as sparks emitted from the electronics underneath. The large Titan grunted, backpedaling from the blow and charging up his cannon once more.

A shadow fell across the floor, and a large black shape blotted out the light. Garfield turned to the disturbance as his eyes fell upon the masked visage of Batman.

"Take care of Robin," he commanded the remaining three Titans. "I'll handle Logan."

"_Bat,_" Garfield growled out, sounding like a predator ready to devour an irritating prey. The vigilante descended on him, flinging a trio of explosive bat-a-rangs his way. They landed just short of him, detonating at his feet and obscured his vision with a dense cloud of smoke. A fist connected with his stomach, followed by two more to his face; falling to his knees, he struggled to get the air he needed to breathe. Darkness encroached at the edges of his vision; eating away at his consciousness.

Batman bent over and picked up the syringe that Robin had intended to use on Garfield a few moments earlier. Flicking it with his finger, he slowly approached the boy before him with caution.

"**WARNING,"** the computer's synthesized suddenly voice rang out. "**SUBJECT IS UNSTABLE. WARNING."**

Batman whirled around to glance at the computer screen above the empty tank and saw the two lines from before suddenly zigzag and merge into one thick line, rising and falling at a dangerous rate. Turning back around, Garfield was already on his feet, shaking his head to clear out the grogginess. Batman knew he had to get him under control now. Diving forward toward the shapeshifter, he thrust forward with the needle to sink it into Gar's heart, but a clawed, green hand caught his wrist and swung him about in a wide circle, smashing him hard into the floor. With the breath knocked out of him,the Dark Knight gasped for air as he watched Logan turn tail and leap through the tall, stained-glass windows. Getting to his feet, he rushed over to the broken window and peered out only to find an empty sky and no one in sight.

"Damn!" he pounded a fist on the sill, grinding his teeth in frustration. He heard the heavy footsteps behind him, like metal on the tile floor.

"Mr. Stone."

"Where's Beast Boy, Wayne?" Cyborg asked, trying to keep his cool despite what he knew to be bad news coming soon.

"He escaped. The boy you fought wasn't Beast Boy. He wasn't even Garfield. I don't know what happened, but as he fought me, he changed back. Has he ever experienced any form of schizophrenia?"

Cyborg was quiet for a moment before quietly answering.

"…Yeah. Yeah, he has…The Beast."

(A/N2:

*O coward conscience, how dost thou afflict me!- A classic line from "Richard III" when Richard's bloodthirsty persona was referring to his conscience, which he believed to be his weakness. I thought it might be appropriate.

Anyways, thanks to all of my reviewers who have urged me to continue the fic. I'd long since had this chapter in development, but never could decide where to go with it. Special thanks to: CerberusX for his devotion and helpfulness; Slade 8833 for his constructive criticism; and lastly, all the rest of you who are encouraging me! Please, R&R!


	5. Something Wicked This Way Comes

(A/N: Wow, wow, wow. Got a load of new reviews and some alerts, too! Didn't realize this story was more than a time-waster on my part... Anyways, I want to thank all of you who reviewed the story and kept with it. You're all important, and every single review is duly noted, trust me. I appreciate the urgings and the positive feedback, especially since I thought no one liked the story much. But regardless, I'll repeat the usual:

I do not own DC comics or any characters located therein.

On with the show!)

_**SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES**_

Gotham has a notoriety that goes beyond tall tales or urban legends. The city itself seems to carry an ominous threat of painful death for any denizens who decide that they're going to live another day in the home of the World's Greatest Detective. In the day, the local power plants pollute the air so heavily that the sky itself seems to turn a light shade of red, and at night, even the thick, muggy air remains. During one of these nights, it is not so uncommon to see crime of any sort take place. It is peculiar, however, to see a slumped, battered, and bleeding young man limping through one of the city's many back alleys, leaving a tread of red drops in his wake. Leaning heavily against the dirty brick wall, a green-skinned youth clutched his chest and collapsed to his knees, hacking up a green, viscous liquid from his chest. Eyes widening at the strange fluid, he touched it with his fingers and lifted it to his nose.

"What... What is this?" He cringed, wiping it on the wall behind him and standing back to his feet. Confusion assaulted every corner of his mind, and he desperately grabbed at anything in his memories that might hold a clue as to his whereabouts.

"I'm in Gotham." He said to himself, nodding slowly. "The Joker... and the Other." Gar clutched his head as a fresh memory entered his mindscape. He saw the other Titans in various positions of attack, then his vision flashed and they were all badly hurt. He watched his own claws do the deed, and he shuddered in spite of himself.

"NO! I'd never do that! They're my friends!"

_**"HA!" **_A voice echoed throughout the alley. _**"You **__**thought**__** they were your friends. But what has their friendship ever given you? Remember Terra, Garfield?"**_

Her beautiful blue eyes were brimming with tears and gazing at him from the other side of the cavern; red jets of molten lava spewed around them and as he felt the ground beneath him give way, her hand stretched out to him and her mouth opened in a silent goodbye...

"Yes." He croaked, covering his own face.

_**"They took her from you, you know." **_The voice taunted him. If Gar could see the speaker, he was confident he would be wearing a smirk. _**"They hated her so much that they couldn't bear risking their lives to save her. And who could blame them? She was a traitor, after all."**_

Angry tears welled up in Garfield's own eyes now, and he raised his head and stood firmly in place. "She wasn't beyond saving! She was my friend. I thought I... I thought I-"

_**"Loved her?" **_Wild, jeering laughter came from the shadows at the proposition. _**"What good is 'love' when the ones who are supposed to be your friends effectively KILL the people you love so much, Garfield?"**_

"They did everything they could!" Gar replied in fury. "They would never just let someone die!"

_**"Oh?" **_That sickeningly sarcastic voice replied in fake innocence. _**"Then tell me, dear Garfield, exactly what the Titans were doing after Slade's defeat."**_

"They were trying to escape the cave with their lives!" He shouted, forming his hands into fists.

_**"Riiight. So enlighten me yet again. Why did Raven not use her powers to stop Terra's own? You know she easily could have. After all, the only thing that needed to happen was for the girl to be knocked unconscious, and her abilities would shut off. Or am I to understand that someone can actually use their powers while not awake?"**_

Slowly, against Gar's own judgment, he began to realize that what the voice in his head was saying was true. The team had elected not to save his friend all that time ago. They had a choice, and they had chosen themselves above Terra.

"I will, to the best of my abilities, fight to protect and preserve sentient life, no matter the cost to myself." Garfield muttered under his breath.

_**"The Titan credo? How foolish."**_

"They broke their promise..." He whispered. "They betrayed my trust. They let her die. Terra..."

_**"Yes, Garfield. The Titans let your friend sacrifice herself so they could continue to sit around in their tower being so annoyingly holier-than-thou. They allowed her to die, just for comfort's sake. And there isn't a thing you can do about it."**_

Garfield flexed his hand, stared a hole through his palm. His brow furrowed and he growled, swinging his hand out beside him and hitting the wall. Large chunks of brick and mortar exploded away from his fist, sending a dust cloud billowing into the small, cramped alley.

"You and the Titans... You're wrong." He snarled, removing his hand from the rubble and gazing at it while his fingers morphed into talons. "Dead wrong."

* * *

Back at Wayne Manor, the recovering young heroes were standing around the fireplace which, according to Alfred, led to the Batcave. Bruce had gathered them all to the hearth and was lecturing them on how dangerous Gotham could be. Robin was having none of it, and quickly took charge of his restless friends again.

"Alright, team, here's the situation. Beast Boy's mental state is rapidly deteriorating, and unless we can catch him soon, this... secondary personality may take over indefinitely."

Cyborg's face hardened at this, and Raven even flinched. Starfire was barely holding it together, but a reassuring hand on her shoulder made her look up into the red, cybernetic eye of the oldest Titan. Giving her a reassuring pat, he turned again to their leader.

"Look man," Cy started, "BB's not himself. We're gonna have to fight him, I just know it. I don't know if I can hit him... Just seems wrong, ya know?"

Robin nodded, but his seriousness didn't fade in the slightest. "I know, Cyborg. Be that as it may, Beast Boy is too dangerous to risk not engaging. We can't go easy on him, you know that. Look at yourself."

Cy looked down and ran his hand across the dent in his chest panel. Starfire worked to get her emotions in check and cleared her throat.

"Friends, our teammate is severely hurt and confused. He needs us, and we need him."

Raven nodded. "She's right. Gar- I mean- Beast Boy, you can't blame him for what he did. We can't risk his life by taking him on full force. Even if he's strong enough to overpower us, we can't endanger his mind. There's no telling what he's thinking right now."

Reluctantly, Robin nodded. "You're right, Raven. We need to get him back without hurting him. With the four of us, it shouldn't be too hard."

At this, Bruce stepped forward and stared Robin in the eyes. "Look, Richard. You're not going to run through my city like you do in Jump. This isn't a place for children."

Cyborg scoffed and planted his finger on Bruce's chest. "You need to get your head outta the clouds, man. We're going after BB, and you can't stop us."

"But-" He started, but was interrupted by Robin again.

"No, Bruce. He's right. There's too much at stake here."

Brice sighed and after a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Fine. But take my advice. If any of the Rogue Gallery comes around, run or call me. They're out of your league."

Robin shook Bruce's hand and gestured for his team to leave ASAP. As they rushed from the manor, Alfred reentered the den holding a tray of tea and sighed heavily.

"They left... I didn't even get a chance to serve the Earl Grey."

* * *

In a darkened warehouse, a figure sat slumped in an oversized, high-backed armchair that was positioned on a raised platform overlooking the floor ten feet below. The shadow sitting on the chair leaned heavily on one arm while a large, fat, balding man stood quivering in the dim overhead lighting. The figure readjusted itself and leaned forward in the throne-like chair until the eyes were barely visible beyond the veil of darkness.

"What do you mean, you didn't get the money?"

The fat man flinched and shifted on his feet. "Well, uh... Ya see, we were gonna hit the place, but..."

"But...?" The voice of the shadow repeated in irritation, gaining intensity.

"B-but the League showed up and busted our heist. We didn't get that thing you wanted."

The figure's hand lashed out and the fat man crumpled to the floor, bleeding profusely out of his forehead. Right between his eyes, a bladed poker card with an image of a court jester beeped and exploded, sending remains of the lackey across the floor. The shadow stood from his "throne" and descended into the light.

"Clean this mess up," the Joker barked, brandishing more playing cards. Other henchman quickly stepped forward in tandem and began to mop the floor and remove the pieces of their old friend.

"I swear, you just can't find good help these days..." Joker sighed with a melodramatic air.

From her spot near the throne, Harlequin approached her boss's side and awaited her instructions and possible beating. "What can I do for ya, Mista' J?"

Growling, Joker turned on her and rolled his eyes. "What you can do is find me someone who isn't completely incompetent and able to do a simple task, that's what, Harley!"

"Sorry, boss. Didn't know you'd get so riled up over that fancy thingamajig."

Joker slapped Harlequin with impunity and sneered. "That 'thingamajig' is our key to beating Batsy, so hop to it, Harley. You're making me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

"O' course, Mista' J!" Harley grinned, completely undeterred by the physical abuse. "Now that you got the syndicate under your thumb, who are ya gonna send out?"

Joker's grin widened and he chuckled darkly. "Harley, do you remember that green boy from earlier?"

She nodded grimly, her smile slipping for just a fraction of a second. "Sure do. What about him?"

"Do you know who he is?" The atmosphere darkened, and Harlequin shook her head. "Not a clue. You?"

Joker nodded and his lip curled. "Our... _mutual friend_ has sent me notice that the lad was actually a teammate of the Boy Blunder!"

Harley's face stretched to its limits as an eager grin came across her features. "What are ya thinking, Mista' J?"

Beginning to pace back and forth through the room, Joker's hand flew to his chin every once-in-a-while when he became entrenched in his own thoughts. After almost four minutes of silence with Harley bursting at the seams, the Clown Prince stopped and smiled at her.

"If the greenbean knew Robbykins, then that means that since the runt is dead, Robin will come running along to see what happened. And since he's in Gotham, he'll meet up with the Bat! Batsy will no doubt warn the boy of the danger- I always knew the Dark Blight was too fatherly for the boy's own good- and Robin won't listen. He'll look for me, wanting revenge or justice or whatever it is heroes want..."

"So? What's the plan?"

Glaring up at her, he slapped her again. "Don't interrupt me while I'm thinking Harley! Can't rush genius."

Rubbing her sore cheek, Harlequin nodded enthusiastically. "Right. Sorry, boss."

Waving her apology away, the Joker stared at the floor and then snapped his fingers.

"That's it, Harley! I've got it! If Robbypoo wants to find us, then we'll let him! Leave clues behind so he doesn't get TOO suspicious, he's too clever for us to just _tell_ him where we are. He'll know it's a trap. But if we lead him on a goose chase, he'll track us down thinking he's being soooo smart and that he'll finally catch me when BANG! One of the Batclan down, only three to go."

Clapping, Harley grinned at the madman's plot and the Joker bowed like a master thespian. "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind!"

"You're a bonafide mastermind, Mista' J!"

"Yes, I suppose I am." He nodded, smirking as another unpleasant thought came to him. "But if the green one's dead, then Batsy will have a team help the red-clad lad... And as magnificent as I am, I don't know who he's bringing. A _hero_ went kaput. He might even call in the Boy Scout! Damn... I was close, too. If I want Robin dead, then I'll have to find help of my own. My ace in the hole."

At that moment, the door to the warehouse burst open and Joker whirled around with a humongous pistol drawn. Training it on a massive shadow beyond the light, he started to squeeze the trigger when the form vanished from view.

"What the-?"

"Where'd it go, Mista' J?"

Joker scanned the room looking for signs of the intruder and strained his ears to listen, but nothing came to him. From the other side of the room, he felt a nagging sense of being watched and turned back to his throne. Sitting there in his chair was someone with burning green eyes and those eyes were currently drilling holes through him.

The infamous killer clown put his gun away; if the newcomer had wanted to attack him, he already would have when he had the drop. "Who are you and what do you want? I've got things to do, so if you don't mind getting a move on, that would be marvelous." He drawled.

"I want to make a deal." The shadow replied. "I understand that you want Robin dead. I can help you with that."

"Doesn't answer my question. You've already gotten my attention, and since you're so _willing_ to help, I'll hire you. But I want to know one thing. WHO. ARE. YOU?"

"Me?" Chuckling, a sneering Garfield Logan emerged from the shadows but remained a good distance from the Joker with his hands folded behind his back. "Call me your ace in the hole."


End file.
